Rich: One of the most famous men I ever knew

His name is Calvin.There will never be a monument, a bridge, or a dirt road named for him.But in this part of the South, his name, Calvin Stewart, will be engraved in our hearts forever.Calvin was a patrol officer for the local sheriff’s department.

Stone: Dreams with sharp teeth

You’re back, dear reader. Good! I would have been disappointed if you hadn’t come back.If you missed it, last week’s column concluded with me on a hospital bed with electrodes attached to my chest and IVs stuck in both arms.My heart rate had alarmed medical professionals at St.

Rich: The joy of the rain

It was in the gloaming of a hot, July evening. I was dressed in jeans, an Elvis tee shirt, and farm boots, cleaning weeds near the stream that runs under our driveway.A bristling wind suddenly lifted the leaves, and I saw the skies darkening further. I called to the dogs.“Y’all c’mon.

Yarbrough: Some random thoughts on random subjects

Dear Samuel Knox Wansley:Who are you, and who am I? The answer is that you are the family's youngest member, still awaiting your first birthday, and I am your great-grandfather who doesn’t have that many birthdays left ahead. So, we should have this conversation while I can still write it down.

Stone: What dreams may come?

To sleep, perchance to dream — ay, there’s the rub: For in that sleep of death what dreams may come ... From Hamlet, William Shakespeare.While most of you heathens were taking part in the drunken revelry that accompanies degenerate New Year’s Eve celebrations, your boy T.

Rich: My cousin

It was a simple gesture.Probably meaningless to anyone but me.We were at the funeral home, celebrating the well-lived, godly life of our Aunt Kathleen. Tink and I were seated on the sofa near her beautiful casket when my cousin, Wanda, plopped down in my lap and threw her arm around me.

Letter to the Editor: Follow the dream

Dear Editor,Every year, on the third Monday in January, we observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This federal holiday is “designated as a National Day of Service to encourage all Americans to volunteer and improve their communities.” Dr.

Yarbrough: Some facts of life for a new great-grandson

Dear Samuel Knox Wansley:Who are you, and who am I? The answer is that you are the family's youngest member, still awaiting your first birthday, and I am your great-grandfather who doesn’t have that many birthdays left ahead. So, we should have this conversation while I can still write it down.

Crane: What’s the deal with Greenland?

I recall the factoid from high school geography that Iceland was purposefully deceptively named and is quite green. Greenland is essentially a massive slab of ice, though not quite as icy as it used to be. But more on less ice later.

Rich: The wedding gift

It was a wedding gift. We never knew from whom it came, even after all these years.I just opened the front door, and a quart jar of clear liquid sat there. My first thought was that it was water.Then I saw the note. “Congratulations on your marriage. Have a toast, from a friend.